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Spello - Che Bello!
Spello (half-day)
Assisi/Spello (full-day)
Spoleto/Spello (full-day)
Gubbio/Spello (full-day)
Spello - Mountaintop Castle-village (half-day)
Comments
Our tour will begin in Assisi - justly acclaimed
"crown jewel of the medieval hill towns" - and will encompass its
rich historical and artistic heritage as well as contact with the
"locals"...and its modern day life and history. We will visit the
three levels of the Basilica di San Francesco ( the crypt ,where
the Saint is buried, Lower Basilica and Upper Basilica) of Romanesque/Gothic
architecture, built in the 13th c. to house the body of St. Francis
of Assisi, patron saint of Italy and most beloved of all saints
for the Italians. The greatest masters of the time - Cimabue, Giotto.
Simone Martini, Pietro Lorenzetti - were called here to fresco,
rendering this church one of Italy's most outstanding art museums.
In the words of a 13th c. historian "no more exquisite monument
to the Lord has yet been built"....(this comment: still appropriate!)
As we head up to the main square,
our walk through the town will include stops to meet and talk with
local artisans. Piazza del Comune, Assisi's main piazza, is graced
by its medieval bell tower, elegant civic buildings of the 13th-14th
c. and the stately Temple of Minerva, 1st c. BC... so amazing that
Goethe detoured just to gaze on it! Near the 13th c. Gothic Basilica
di Santa Chiara (where St. Clare of Assisi is buried), we'll stop
in to see a significant tribute to Assisi's involvement in modern
history: the printing press which falsified the identity documents
for all the Jews hidden here in World War II, thanks to the heroic
efforts of the local bishop, young priests and the printer and his
son....the Assisi Underground. .
Then, on to Spello for lunch in
a delightful family-run trattoria and our tour (see above half-day
tour).
Spoleto
incorporates an extraordinary blend of Roman, Early Christian, medieval
and Renaissance architecture - making it the perfect stage-setting
for the "Festival of the Two Worlds" of Giancarlo Menotti.
Our visit will start, appropriately,
back in time - with a visit to one of the oldest churches in Western
Europe (4th - 5th c. AD) outside of the medieval walls. We'll take
in the 14th c. medieval aqueduct, imposing feudal fortress and the
Renaissance masterpieces of Fra' Lippo Lippi and Pinturicchio in
the Duomo... the local market... and a taste of a local specialty.
Lunch in a local trattoria specializing in truffles and other dishes
typical of the area... and then on to Spello for the afternoon (see
above half-day tour).
Our route to Gubbio will take us across breath-taking
landscapes - "off the beaten track" - so that we can stop enroute
to explore an abandoned feudal castle.
Dramatically perched on a hill overlooking the
ruins of its Roman theater, here in Gubbio time seems to have quite
literally stopped in the Middle Ages. Our walk through the labyrinthine
medieval back streets will take us to the imposing 14th c. Palazzo
dei Consoli, said to rival Palazzo Vecchio in Florence in its beauty
(I think it surpasses it).
Along
the way, a stop to taste local delicacies - wild boar salami, pecorino
(sheep's milk) and truffle cheeses, local liqueurs, truffle paté-
and then a stop to observe two fine young artisans at work. Acclaimed
as two of the most-gifted ceramicists in Italy, their gold-incised
black bucchero (Etruscan technique) astounds. Few tourists
in Gubbio since no railway lines run through here.... After our
tour through Gubbio... on to Spello (about 1-1/4 hr by car)... for
our tour (as described in Spello, half-day).
We
will start our tour with a drive along a mountainside covered with
olive groves, climbing to a walled castle-village (pop: approx.
45!) for a walk through a "world-apart", stopping to talk with the"locals".
We'll then head onto Spello (che
bello!). Our walk through Spello will include a visit to my
favorite friar who will show us his creations and then to the studio
of a Spello painter whose work is created on most unusal surfaces
(you'll be amazed...).
Art treasures of medieval Spello include Roman vestiges, Renaissance
fresco masterpieces (including my favorite fresco cycle in all of
Umbria) and a Baroque wonder - and of course, the town itself is
a showcase of medieval architecture. We'll have a tasting/lunch
in a medieval wine-cellar, hosted by one of the area's top sommeliers.
Our fare will include TOP wines of Italy, prize-winning olive oils,
sheeps' milk cheeses, truffle patés....
This tour is especially recommended for those seeking a "non-touristy"
route - and who enjoy discovering artistic treasures (past and present),
meeting the locals, foods and wine... and stepping into the relaxed
Italian rhythm of life.
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